American Express Travel Insurance

We appealed the discussion, providing more documentation supporting the medical severity of the sepsis and consequent mental trauma that lead us to having to cancel our travel plans, and once again we were denied reimbursement. We were just expecting this travel insurance company to act in good faith, and do the right thing, however this is not how this unethical company operates. In writing this review, it is our hope that no consumer will have the same frustrating and costly outcome that we have experienced...

I was told by AMEX Airflight Insurance Premium Dept (Mexico) that I can only file a "request for investigation" to their "back office" to review b/c the flight was already taken. I explained if I didn't know such program and found out only when statement was issued, by then the flight was taken..how can I contest it "before" the flight. He also said by filing for investigation, I would have to cancel the policy even before the investigation results come in. I complained that request for credit is b/c I was not aware of the opt-in 23 years ago and has nothing to do in requesting for policy to be cancelled. Let alone, it'll be cancelled before the investigation results. So, the policy is cancelled just because I requested an investigation and yet have no idea if the credits will be issued.

It seems illegal to mandate that my policy be cancelled just because I asked for an investigation. Let alone for a program I apparently signed up 23 years ago. Plus, I am not given a copy of the investigation until the results are issued. This whole process is not transparent at all and good customer experience. We've been a long-time AMEX customer and a loyal one, too. Now, I find out their free "Travel Accident Insurance" program is going to be cancelled Jan 2020. I guess I am now forced to use Chase card for Travel and Flight bookings. It's too bad...so be careful what you sign up for and not remembering two decades ago.

1) I was in the typhoon in Japan where all travel was delayed and stopped for several days. You would think you could use the trip delay feature, but you can only do that if you prove that there was no transportation for 24 hours. In Japan part of the rail system was back up within 24 hours. So it did not qualify even though the delay required new tickets and accommodations.

2) I had a death in the family. In order to claim for a death in the family you need to have an obituary or a death certificate. I wasn't going to ask family members for an official death certificate while they were grieving. And there was no obituary. Just announcements from family would not be accepted.

3) The worst is for medical-related interruption. My companion was very sick in China. We spoke to several pharmacists and medication was not available. We decided to return to the States for treatment. We got a doctor the day we returned who said we should not travel and needed treatment in the US. But you need a medical professional in the originating country to provide an official document stating that they said you had to go back to the US. The pharmacists and translator in China refused to provide this document. And can you imagine what it would have been like to go to a hospital and spend the whole day using Google translate to try to get such a document before you leave a country when you are sick? You are most likely going to do what we did, which is get on a plane and come back for treatment. The fine print says the medical professional must be in the country of your trip - not the US - and so they could say that this did not qualify.

All three of these are loop holes I didn't really understand or think would happen to me, but they did. So unless you think you are going to be able to compile the documentation needed for a claim, you should not buy insurance. It would have been better if I had just thought the whole time, I'm not insured, so I didn't waste over 20 hours of time compiling all the documentation, receipts, and certificates. That being said, I still think medical evacuation insurance is good to have and will still do that. But I'll use world nomads the next time because at least they have some people who have successfully used it.

I spent half a day rounding up documentation and submitting it through exacting process of submitting claims. The AmEx rep said that they were bound by their policy. Ridiculous--the company makes policy, the company can interpret policy. So if you want a rigid, narrow insurance company trying its most petty not to pay out a claim, try American Express Travel Insurance.

5 days before our scheduled Cruise was suppose to commence we were informed by Crystal Cruise Line that the Cruise we booked was being canceled because a Lock on the Danube River was damaged by a collision from another Viking River Cruise Ship. As a result the Danube River was closed to all ship traffic for two weeks, and our cruise was canceled. We had flown to Europe early to enjoy some pre-Cruise time in Europe, which was all arranged by the Amex Travel Cruise Department thru the Crystal Cruise Air Department. Upon being informed by Crystal Cruise Line of the cancellation of our Cruise we contacted Amex Assurance Claims Department, But they were no help at all, and they offered no assistance to us. We were stranded in Europe with no flight options to get home. We had to purchase one way Biz class tickets to get home with no financial support of Amex or Crystal Cruise Company.

Upon our return to our home in Florida we filed a claim for our losses with Amex Assurance Company that issued the “Gold” Travel Insurance Policy to us. We submitted over 36 pages of documentation including the confirmation from Crystal Cruise Line why our Cruise was canceled. Our claim was denied as we were informed that since our Cruise was canceled due to a technical problem and not a weather related problem or a labor dispute within Crystal Cruise Line, we learned that the expensive Gold Travel Insurance Policy we purchased was a complete scam!

We filed an appeal because we learned that the reason the Lock was damaged by the Viking River Cruise Ship which subsequently canceled our Cruise was in fact weather related as a contributing factor as to why the collision took place. But our detailed Appeal to Amex Assurance Company was denied, and as we have now learned, these policies are full of loop holes that the Amex Assurance claims adjusters try to use to not pay for insurance benefits that in this situation we clearly are eligible to receive. Now I am out more than $25,000 in expenses and financial damages from this canceled cruise that Amex Assurance or Amex Travel Company (the company that recommended I purchase the Travel Insurance Policy for our cruise) have all refused to help me or reimburse me for any portion of our financial losses!

We are now looking for a good lawyer to help us to support a legal claim against Amex Travel Assurance Policies. Please contact me if you have any suggestions or recommendations of any reputable law firms that specialize in getting insurance benefits paid for travel Insurance policies from companies such as Amex Travel Assurance Company. Thank you, Bob **.

I called Amex on 6/28 as soon as I saw the charges. I spoke to 2 different agents in customer service--wanted to dispute the charges--said I did not need additional insurance, etc--They could see (and did see) on my bill that I already had travel insurance. They promised to file a dispute and removed us from the whole travel insurance program. Also said we could never join it again. I said ok. So today 7/8, I check my account online--see 4 $10.00 credits. Try to call Amex customer service--can NOT get a live person--"all reps are busy--we appreciate your patience" etc. 4 hours--no one to talk to. Snail mail comes--a letter from TravelAssure. Letter says my coverage terminated as of 6/28.

I call, finally get a live person who tries to explain that I had coverage from 6/13 to 6/28 so all I get is a partial credit. I try to reason with the agent--It is like talking to a stone wall--Said I should have put in a claim before--I explain I did not know about it and we have not taken the trip yet--I did not need the policy--ever. We went around around--got nowhere. She said the case was closed and nothing else could be done.

This was not the fault of our agent. She was not aware of the AMEX policy of charging double for travel insurance as was done in our case. But she is now and will be telling future customers about this. We are very senior citizens and have been AMEX customers for a whole lot of years. Just never used the card to book and pay for a whole vacation at once. Well--end of story--Will never use that card again for travel--will limit its use to the grocery store and McDonald's. Will never recommend TravelAssure to anyone and will tell them to avoid it at all costs. My opinion of AMEX is now that it is terrible--I can no longer recommend it to anyone. No customer service at all--We have other credit cards--Since Amex does not deserve our business they will not get it any longer.

We returned home, contacted Amex Travel Insurance- filed all required all paperwork with supporting medical documentation. Almost immediately we received the following decision: CLAIM DENIED- COUSINS ARE NOT COVERED, YOU SHOULD HAVE CONTINUED ON WITH YOUR VACATION. We are totally disgusted with Amex and would recommend others learn from our unfortunate experience.

Ironically nearly the exact amount the policy itself was worth. The second I saw that I knew that this company has absolutely no intention of paying anyone for any claims that exceed the amount of the policy. As a side note, I was on a tour when these incidents happened, and all other 15 people in my group were reimbursed for the troubles we encountered except for me. In addition to this, I've called this company FIVE times, the first being end of October and each call has totaled 45 minutes at the shortest.

Each time, I've let them know about the double charge for the policy and requested for reasoning behind my erroneously denied claims and each time, the agent has advised they have filed a grievance with the appropriate department and that I will be contacted in 5 days with a result. To this day: I've had NO callbacks, NO refund, NO assistance with my claims. This company has in total wasted 8 hours of my time trying to get answers, help, and my rightfully deserved money and I've yet to have any of that. I called again today to follow up, and she's let me know that "every agent has made an error in the past and that my issues will be attended to within 30 days" NOT OK.

After a few days the cough did not get any better so I went back to my Doctor and he had me take an X-ray. He said they saw a small gray spot on my lungs and thought I should see a pulmonologist. The Pulmonologist thought I had Valley Fever and prescribed a anti Fungal medicine. When I informed him that we were scheduled to leave in a few days, he suggested that we postpone our trip. I called the airline and was charged a 25% penalty but hey refunded the remaining balance. I called our travel company and they canceled our trip but had to charge us for the portion that was past the time of cancellation.

I had my Doctor write me a letter, I gathered all the charges and credits and only submitted for the actual amounts we lost. It has been almost 7 months and the AmEx insurance keeps finding reasons to deny our claim. We were being honest and upfront but this insurance company purposefully goes out of their way to not pay on a legitimate claim. They won't even refund the almost $2000 they charged us for the insurance policy. My advice to anyone and everyone is to avoid doing any business with this company. They love to fight you and since it comes to doing the right thing, trust me, they won't. Buyer beware!!! We just got taken twice...

Recently when I rented a car in Los Angeles, a charge of $17.95 was added on my credit card without my consent. When I called AMEX to dispute this charge, I was told to contact their insurance division, & they would remove it. Instead of agreeing to remove it, both the rep & his supervisor in the Premium Insurance Division argued with me that I had been given a disclosure when I signed up back in July. Further, it was my husband who had enrolled, using his card. Initially, I was told that the company did not have access to the "recorded conversation," but then was told that they would pull the recording to review it & would at that time decide if credit would be issued.

We have never received any information or documentation about this continued enrollment in writing. Further, I was told if I wanted a record of the call giving disclosure about continued charges, I would need to get a court subpoena. I am shocked that this company is operating under the AMEX umbrella as both reps were extremely aggressive, & the company's business practices seem highly questionable. I have been a loyal credit card customer of AMEX for many years & called them regarding how angry I was about this experience. I was told by a supervisor at AMEX that she would be crediting my account, & she would call me back this afternoon as she wanted to research my complaint further. I have not received a call back yet and am still waiting to see the credit applied to my account. Very disappointed in AMEX and feel my trust has been manipulated.

We had no power, no cell service, no home phone, no internet. We had a tree on our roof which left a gaping hole and totaled one car which was parked outside the garage, thus blocking the car parked in the garage. It took three days to get the tree off the car to make it possible to get our other car out of the garage. The entire area was flooded and trees were down everywhere blocking neighborhood and county roads. We had to notify insurance companies and with no phone service of any kind that took almost a week. We knew we would be unable to travel so the day before the category 4 hurricane was expected to hit Naples, we called Amex Assurance Company to notify them we would be unable to fly.

By the way, our flight was out of Miami International Airport, a two hour drive from Naples and we had no idea what the condition of the roads would be after the storm. Then when we had heard nothing from them after three weeks, we called and were told they had sent an email asking for details of our cancellation, which of course we did not receive because we had no internet for three weeks. The email was resent and we complied with the request and returned the forms. We heard nothing for two more weeks and when we called we were told Amex needed documentation of the hurricane, no power, etc.

We sent pictures of the tree on our roof and car, pictures of our property and even a newspaper article about the devastation from Irma. Still we heard nothing. We just spoke to someone today and after about 30 minutes we had gotten nowhere. We were told it was up to the adjuster. We could not get a name or phone number. We were told by this agent that speaking to a supervisor would not help. In good faith we insured our trip against any medical emergencies or catastrophic events. I consider Hurricane Irma a catastrophic event. Yet, nine weeks later we are still getting a runaround! Also, no one from Amex Insurance Company has ever contacted us regarding our claim. I will make sure all my friends and business acquaintances are aware of the terrible service this company provides.

For the meantime, Amex Assurance is still asking for the same documents that I have sent them over and over again. I called but they don't have a clear picture of what I am calling for. I told them to close my file cause I don't have time to deal with a small amount and they gladly did it. My fear is, we are flying to the other end of the world. Will they be reliable to provide the services they promised like medical care, loss of luggage, evacuation, etc. I am just praying that nothing bad will happen. Next time, I will purchase insurance from another company but will check their reviews first.

Generally insurance contracts are in writing with information disclosed in writing. I have even called to ask if I can forward the email back to AMEX for their review and they can point to me where the issue of insurance continuity is addressed. They don't entertain email communication in this day and age. Why? It seems AMEX cares only about making MONEY and not being transparent and reasonable. I have been with AMEX since 2005 and used the Protection insurance for the first time. AMEX does not even care about our loyalty.

I spent numerous hours from Europe on the phone with them, and went to a Doctor they recommended. He was nothing less than 90 yrs. old and ended up writing a report which was not completely accurate from what I told him. I had to return a week earlier with a change of departure airport which cost me close to $700.00 plus the Dr. fee and medication for a total of about $900.00.

When I got back, I had to fax them at least 30 pages of reports, receipts, documents, etc.. They dragged the process endlessly... and then claimed that my sickness overseas was treated in the US less than the 90 days, which was a lie, because it had nothing to do with my flu visit to my doctor and not what I had on the trip. They insisted on their version... lie... lie and more lie. Think about it, if I was sick before I left and used their advice to cancel my trip beforehand and "make a prudent decision" (their small print in the policy) to cancel the trip, it would have cost them over $3,000. I only asked for $900.00 to cover my unexpected expenses!!! These insurance companies always find the way to decline a claim, and I am not sure which one to use now that I am planning to travel again.

On 7th November I was bitten by a wild cat in India and had to be hospitalized for IV antibiotics. My friend called AMEX to advise them of my pending claim. I was released from hospital two days later and, after many calls to them, advised that the policy did not cover me as I was out of Australia for more than 45 days. Further, that to be covered, I would have had to leave from Australia and not stay away for more than 45 days. I again, scanned the terms and conditions document again in sheer disbelief and found in small print, the reference to 45 days stay maximum in an unusual place of 'who' should take out the policy. This is unethical marketing and promotion to get your money and nothing else.

This is a long document to read for anyone and to have all the benefits in large blue print in large, easy to read tables. And to have such a salient point as the policyholder can only travel from Australia for up to 45 days maximum during the one year policy in small print is grossly unethical as I feel I've been tricked into purchasing a product that is advertised for a year in large print and - is the same cover that AMEX card holders have already when they pay for their flights with their credit card - in small print. Therefore, AMEX has taken money from me twice e.g. credit card annual fee and this policy for the same product! I have never, until now, had any complaint with AMEX. I was shocked to hear that their travel insurance is with ACE and that they disassociate themselves from the company completely, as it was clearly advertised as their product when I purchased it online - and it is confusing to their loyal customers.

My perfect impression of AMEX has been tarnished greatly as I contacted both AMEX and ACE by phone overseas and was told by AMEX they are not responsible for the insurance double up and it is nothing to do with them. And then ACE told me I should read the small print. Let's be honest, we are not all lawyers as we don't always read every single word of a very large document. I, like most honest people, trust companies that have been good to me in the past. AMEX did not bother to confirm the policy is in fact a double up of the usual credit card travel insurance and ACE well, they told me after I had to make several calls to Sydney while in hospital, that they will not refund my policy fee! I'm in my sixties and am horrified that this unethical practice should be allowed in Australia.